Wild Girl
by Screaming Faeries
Summary: QLFC Round 8. Lavender doesn't want his sympathy.


**Written For: **

QLFC Round 8/Chaser 2: Reversed: Obstacles, Delays, Frustration. Optional Prompts: (season) Winter, (location) St. Mungo's, (word) Immune

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oOo

St. Mungo's was more depressing in the winter than any other season, Lavender realized. She stood at the window, staring at the city street below. Snow fell, slowly drifting along and disappearing into the already-blanketed street below.

There was a part of her that longed to be out there, but she refused to acknowledge that deep wish. With a groan, she forced herself away from the window, catching her reflection in the glass. She refused to have mirrors in her room, but she sometimes caught glimpses of herself in one reflective surface or another. It always hurt to see the jagged, ugly scars that cut into her skin and left her disfigured.

"Knock, knock?"

She was grateful for the distraction but couldn't quite bring herself to feel relieved when she saw Cormac standing there, a bright smile on his lips. Seeing him–or anyone from her past, if she was honest–hurt her almost as much as seeing Greyback's marks forever etched upon her once beautiful face and body. Cormac, like everyone else, was a painful reminder that she didn't belong in that world anymore. That world was for whole people with happy lives and no baggage.

It was exactly why she continued to delay her own release. She was sure it was easy enough to prove that she wasn't a danger to herself, but how could the Healers on the ward prove that her sudden emotional and violent outbursts weren't the result of the attack? Could they really risk sending someone so damaged back into the real world.

"I spoke to your mum," he said, closing the door behind him before digging in his pocket. He pulled out a Sugar Quill and held it out to her. "Your favourite, right?"

"Right." She accepted it hesitantly. "What do you want?"

They weren't exactly close, not anymore. There was a moment a month before the battle that made her believe they could have something special. It was just another thing Greyback took from her.

"To see you."

"Why?" Her tone was sharper than she intended, but she didn't apologize. If she pushed people away and made them hurt, she didn't have to get attached. Attachment led to too many complications, and she didn't need anymore obstacles to overcome, not when her plan was damn near fool-proof. "Since when did you care about anyone but yourself?"

Her skin suddenly felt too tight. Talking to him like that was wrong, but it was the only way. She just wished she could do it without feeling acidic regret eating away at her insides. Restless and antsy, she began to pace the length of her hospital room. She was free to walk along the ward, but she chose not to; she told the Healers she wanted to isolate herself for fear of what she might do to the other patients, and, when they had to do yet another evaluation on her to see if she was fit to socialize, she knew it worked like a charm.

"You're not being fair," he snapped.

"Fair? Who said I have to be fair?" she asked, coming to a stop in front of the window.

She could see her reflection again. Ugly pinkish-white raised scars littered her body. The worst were the jagged lines that ripped through the corner of her mouth. Once, she would have said her lips were her best feature. Now, they were her greatest source of shame.

If life didn't have to be fair, neither did she. She never asked for this, yet everyone expected her to smile and work through. In the beginning, she _tried_, but it wasn't enough. She saw everyone else healing and learning to cope, and she knew she could never have that. She knew she would always be broken and decided to embrace it.

"Lav…" He moved closer, reaching out for her.

Before his fingers could find her arm, she jerked away, eyes narrowing at him. "Don't."

To her surprise, he laughed. "You always were immune to my charm," he teased.

It made her melt, if only a little. For the first time in months, she felt almost normal. She smiled. "That's because you have all the charm of Flobberworm slime."

He took another step closer. His proximity was too much. All of her anger threatened to drain from her body.

"You must have met some extremely charming Flobberworms," he said, and his pearly white smile was almost enough to make her break.

She shook her head, stepping back. "Stay away from me," she said, raking her fingers through her matted, honey-blonde curls. "I don't need this."

She refused to let him be a complication. Maybe she would be ready to be in the real world again one day, but not today. Letting him get close would be her downfall, and she refused to let him be her ruin.

"You were doing so well," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Hasn't anyone told you? I'm dangerous. Just because I don't transform on the full moon doesn't mean I'm not wild."

"Your mum says it's all an act," he told her, folding his arms over his chest and raising a brow. It was such a small gesture, but Lavender could practically hear the silent challenge in that inquiring quirk. "I'm inclined to agree with her."

"It's not."

He would not be her downfall. She has worked much too hard to build these walls. There was no way she was going to let Cormac tear through her defenses so easily.

"I know you, Lavender," he said. "It's time to stop this nonsense. Do you know how frustrating it is to know you're locked up when your family needs you?"

Without a second thought, she lunged at him. Though he had a sturdy build, the element of surprise was on her side, and she managed to tackle him to the floor, growling. She was careful as she dug her nails into his face. The goal was to scare him a little bit, not to leave him permanently damaged.

"Get off!" He struggled beneath her, but she could feel him holding back. Maybe he could see right through her. "Lavender, enough!"

It wasn't enough. It would only be enough when everyone gave up on her and she was allowed to live in peace.

The door burst open, and a team of Healers hurried into the room. Good. Let them see her. Let them take notes and discuss how that poor Brown girl was such a lost cause.

As she was pulled away from Cormac and bound to her bed by restraints, Lavender laughed. Healer Robards pressed potion vial to her lips, forcing her to take a calming draught, and all Lavender could do was smile.

It was a lonely existence, but it was better this way. And as she recalled the fear in Cormac's eyes as he was led away, she knew she finally won.


End file.
